SC man convicted of raping dying cancer patient
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A 56-year-old homeless man has been convicted of raping a dying cancer patient at a Mount Pleasant hospice center.
Circuit Judge Markley Dennis concluded Thursday that Calvin Dean Williams was guilty of criminal sexual conduct and burglary.
The 86-year-old woman died from cancer eight days after the attack.
Dennis sentenced Williams to 30 years in prison.
Prosecutors say Williams entered The Hospice Center through an unlocked door around 3 a.m. in February 2011. A nurse heard a scream and found Williams with the woman.
Defense attorney Cody Groeber had asked for a 15-year sentence, saying Williams needed medication and supervision rather than prison. Groeber says Williams lost his parents while he was a teen and eventually lived with caregivers in McClellanville.
